The Broken Heart Of a Best Friend
by Miss Buch
Summary: A small part of Korra's recovery process, before she goes to the South Pole. One tiny swear because Korra, and another one-shot.


_**Hi everyone, here is another Korrasami thing that came to me. To all the A Level and GCSE students in the UK, well done in your exams, and good luck with the next steps you're taking, whatever they may be. This contains feels, you were warned. Please read and review as always.**_

 _ **Miss Buch xx**_

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 _Love, I have wounds,_

 _Only you can mend,_

 _You can mend._

 _I guess that's love,_

 _I can't pretend,_

 _I can't pretend._

 **Can't pretend, Tom Odell**

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Korra was lying on the floor, staring blankly at the hard wood floor. Everywhere ached, she couldn't feel her legs at all, and simply didn't have the strength to push herself up. Actually that wasn't true. Her strength was there – but with some much pain that came with it, she could barely move.

"Korra? You've been in here a while, are you alright?" Asami's voice wafted over, through the door and sank into her ears. The young woman that had once been the Avatar didn't respond. "Korra?" The knocking on the door changed to it being pushed open with a shoulder. "Spirits! Korra!" Asami swept down to see her face. The deadened look on her features physically hurt her, and she almost wanted to burst into tears. "Let's get you up." Asami gently lifted Korra into a sitting position and then slipped her arms around her so that she could get her back into the wheelchair. "What happened?" She asked, sitting in front of her. Korra's eyes, which used to be a shining bright blue were now a dull grey colour and barely registered that she had spoken. They flicked to her face briefly before slowly blinking. The healers had been on her like flies to honey as soon as she had got back into the city, but all they could do was relieve a small amount of the pain she was experiencing. She had to wait until after Jinora's ceremony before she could go back to the South Pole and see Katara, but right now, things weren't looking very positive. The once great Avatar, capable of pulverising rock three times her size and shattering ice several feet thick, was now bound to a wheelchair, barely able to move, let alone bend. For ages that day, she had spent her time repeatedly opening and closing her right fist until she got cramps all the way up her arm, hoping and praying to every spirit she knew that she might be able to produce a flame. She recalled a memory of herself, aged five, running to her mother to show her that she could bend. Of course, Senna had screamed when Korra showed her the fire in her pudgy hand – that was the first of the elements to manifest themselves within her. Of course, not long after that, she had some degree of control over earth and water too, and learnt them in the correct order, working with Katara first. But fire was her primary element – like all firebenders, she had this inner flame that heated her core, and kept her warm at night, but right now she couldn't feel it. She just felt cold and dead. She was nothing without her bending, and right now, there was _nothing_ she could do about it. Asami pushed some of Korra's long hair from her face.

"Did you try to walk?" She asked quietly. Korra nodded slowly. "You shouldn't have done that. You aren't ready yet." The Avatar didn't say anything, just stared at the limp hands might once have been able to lift the entire of Air Temple Island that were now clasped loosely in her lap. "Korra. Look at me, please." The dull grey came into view again, and she could see the tears sparkling in Asami's green eyes. "I know this is hard for you, all this waiting with nothing to do – I know full well how impatient you are. But I need you to try and relax and recuperate for me. I promise you will get your bending back, and once you get down to the South Pole, I'm sure Katara will do all that she can for you. But right now, just please, don't hurt yourself."

"I-I can't find Raava." Korra whispered hoarsely, her throat sore from underuse. Asami paled a little, but it didn't show under her makeup. Without Raava, Korra couldn't go into the Avatar state. "I can't bend – fuck, I can't even move. What am I supposed to do?" Korra's voice was starting to rise. "I'm stuck in this stupid chair! I can't help anyone, I can't play with the kids, I can't go to the bloody bathroom without help! I-I just-" Korra broke off and she started to cry, lowering her head, but was unable to lift her hands to wipe her eyes. Asami leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her, making quiet shushing noises in her ear. The sobs messed with her breathing, and it hurt her chest as she tried to suck in more air, which just made her cry harder.

"Ssshhh. .Korra, it's ok. I'm here. Please try to calm down for me." Asami knew the extent of the Avatar's injuries, and she knew that Korra was trying to take in too much air at once, which would cause pain in her ribs. It took a while, but eventually, the young woman in the wheelchair stilled, occasionally sniffling.

"What's the p-point of me? I'm-useless now! I can't d-do anything!"

"What's the point Korra? The point of you is to be _you_ right now. Not the Avatar. There is more to you than Raava and bending the elements and saving the world all the time. You don't have to be the Avatar 100% of the time. I need you to just be Korra for a little while. She's strong and special and stubborn as hell, and that's before you get to all the Avatar stuff. The point of you is to be a friend, a daughter, and to take care of yourself. Everything else can come later. Never tell me you are useless again, understand me?" Korra didn't say anything, just sniffed quietly and tried to blink back a few tears. "You can cry, you can shout at me, you can do what you want. If it's going to make you feel better, I want you to do it. Just please, I hate seeing you hurt yourself. I know you can't bend right now, and that's ok. You can't be independent all the time Korra. Sometimes you need people to look after you. So please, just let me do that. And before you say anything, I'm not doing this out of pity. I'm helping you because I care about you and you're my best friend. I'm no healer, but I can at least try to make this a little easier for you."

"You don't need to do anything." Korra said hoarsely.

"You know I hate it when you lie to me." Asami gave her a stern look. "And it's true; I don't know what I'm supposed to do. All I know is what I can do, and that's what I'm going to try. So stop trying to do all this on your own and let me help you. Its breaking my heart seeing you like this, but you've always been there for me, so I have to do the same for you." Asami bit her lip as she tried to hold back her own tears. "Not because it's an obligation, just because I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't try." Korra's dull eyes came into view as they raked carefully over the inventor's face. She took a few deep breaths as Asami's light green eyes calmed her.

"O-Ok."

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 _ **Yeah, I know it just kind of ends, but oh well. If you really don't like it, let me know and maybe I'll change it.**_


End file.
